UnknownUnknown
despite some initial headache getting past the product activation key issue, the game has been running flawlessly since.
Create a .reg file with the content:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\iDeal-Games\JA2 Wildfire] "Registration"=hex:3c,2f,6f,22,a3,a0,50,22,58,8f,60,22,1e,2d,ad,20
Edit the RunGame.bat file, at the bottom add a new line before start /WAIT "" WF6.exe:
start /WAIT "" regedit start /WAIT "" WF6.exe
Launch through steam, when regedit opens goto Registry and Import Registry File. Select the .reg file created earlier, ensure it successfully imports, then close regedit. Wildfire should launch successfully. You can now go back into the RunGame.bat file and remove the start /WAIT "" regedit line.
Credit to steam user: aeris for finding this fix. https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199018697114
Weird game freeze/messed up display when taking steam screenshots.
You can play JA2 Classic without any tinkering, however to access wildfire you WILL need to get past the product activation key issue. If you're reading this looking for a solution, I have included a brief of how I managed to fix the issue following aeris' advice in a steam discussion page regarding the issue. For some reason I was unable to launch WINE's regedit inside of Widlfire's prefix from the terminal, however adding the regedit launch option to the RunGame.bat file allowed me to successfully import the registry file. Everything's been working solid since, although I have to avoid taking steam screenshots as it causes a weird graphical issue where the screen appears to be overlayed on itself upside down and I can no longer interact with UI.
Scroll down to find Aeris' comment for the product key fix: https://steamcommunity.com/app/215930/discussions/0/1814296273132304445/
First, in the game properties, set it to the latest proton (at this time, 8.0-2) and run it once. Then, in desktop mode, open firefox and download this ja2.reg file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L8GRDqhVa0cy1XWP5WN0a8gsKSopBHFS/view?usp=sharing -- put it under the default Downloads folder. Then via discover install protontricks and in the console run it via: flatpak run com.github.Matoking.protontricks 215930 regedit and you will be in the regedit window. Go to the menus and Import Registry file, go to the downloads folder and choose the ja2.reg file and import it. If you are curious, these are the contents of this file (in DOS format): https://gist.github.com/Patola/23139357904e1a23140dc873006157f8 -- after you import this key, you can exit the registry editor (no need to save) and change back to gaming mode to run your game. It will work for Wildfire but if you have the Classic JA2 DLC it will work for that one too.
Game won't start if you don't add a registry key. Weirdly enough, on a regular Linux desktop it automatically adds that registry key and game runs ok.
Needs registration key provided using this guide : https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198074009645/myworkshopfiles/?section=guides&appid=215930
You need to copy paste the cd-key to the user.reg file to play
It doesn't work natively and it doesn't work with proton without tinkering
Natively it just doesn't run. With forced proton it requires registration key. There are advices to overcome it but I didn't bother.
After click on Play the loading screen appears for a few second and crashes afterwards. You are back on the Steam Deck starting screen.
Launch fails, b/c game asks for a serial number. On Steam.
Neither the "native" nor Windows version work with Proton. "Native": As another commenter already said, "native" means "the Win version in a package with some Wine libraries and scripts". The game was released in 2005, so its Wine libraries must be ancient. No wonder it fails nowadays. Win: At launch a terminal and a blue window pop up. I have to enter a serial number in the blue window, but Steam does not provide such number. Another commenter fixed it by extracting some registry values from a file of the installation folder and adding those manually to the registry. Sadly, it did not work for me. Or I did it wrong. :-( Workaround: After Proton failed (for me) I got the game from GOG. That Linux version also fails, but that Win version works with Wine. (For me, at least.) No serial number needed. Another issue: The resolution isn't scaled on Linux. So if you're using HiRes, a part of the screen is black. (At least with the GOG version.) If you run the game on Windows the resolution gets scaled.
Native version don't works
Native version don't works. With Proton :
- Jagged aliance 2 Wildfire don't works (cd key problem)
- Jagged Aliance 2 Classic works well.
Help screen gets its text a bit corrupted. Text in general is a bit blurry and hard to read.
"Native" version is not native at all. It's also based on Wine. AND it didn't work on my PC (some kind of wine corruption). I had better luck with Proton.
Proton version had an issue wherein it kept asking me for CD key. I tried running a .bat file that came with game, but it didn't work. What worked was extracting the registry stuff into a .reg file and importing that reg file directly by running protontricks 215930 regedit.
